Magic Still Happens

[Saphire]

Our trip had been planned for March, but was never meant to be. Too many financial issues to deal with as well as DS wanting to spend his Spring Break down in Gulfport, helping with Katrina rebuilding. I called and cancelled and felt that familiar feeling of being let down. My very first post on the DIS was one of sharing my disappointment at having to cancel a trip in 2000. People were so kind to me, and I have been on these boards ever since.

I began to look into other options for a summer vacation, while extending the time to earn more money for a family trip. I didn't really want to go to Disney in the summer again, after going in February 2005. I couldn't believe how wonderful it felt to walk around Epcot with a cool breeze swirling around me. So, I started searching for a beach house on the coast of Maine that we could enjoy for a week. I never did find anything that was a good fit, and then April 1st came around. Of course, I heard the news on the DIS...free dining was back!!! How could that be?? Everyone said it would never be offered again! But it was back for the end of August, exactly the time frame I was looking into a vacation!!! I ran down the stairs faster than I ever have and announced it to everyone..."Free Dining Is Back!". They all looked at me and asked, "what's that?". I told them all about it in less than two minutes, told them we could afford a trip to Disney now just as much as that beach house, told them it would save us 1/3 of the trip budget, told them we could try restaurants we have never been to, told them what a fantastic opportunity it was! I quickly had them all on board, and our 2006 trip stretched out before us, ready to be planned!

Day One

There were four of us this trip: myself, DH, DS (20) and DD (will turn 17 on this trip). Our DS (24) could not make it, but did try to arrange a surprise visit for DD's birthday. He is in Medical School and doing his rotations, and his schedule just wouldn't allow it. We headed down early on August 22 from Boston, and arrived at Magical Express just after 10:00 am. We left within minutes. First stop was Pop Century, and then on to Coronado Springs. I heard good things about this resort on the boards, and it was all true! It was just beautiful! Our room was not ready, so we went to the Pepper Market to use our first counter service meal. The first time was a bit confusing, but people were helpful and after that we all had the hang of it. I can see how this set up could be difficult with little children. (There are two sweet, older, helpful, lovely ladies at the bakery, Sheila and Pat, and my DD and I fell in love with them. The Bakery at PM is unbelievable. The items are fresh and huge and delicious. Try the cinnamon rolls or cookies or muffins or pecan rolls or danish or croissants...yes we loved the bakery!) After lunch we went back to see if our room was ready. It was and we received our request for 9B Cabana (thanks DIS boards). This was a perfect location, just steps to the bus stop and a bit further to PM and pool. We enjoyed the quiet pool for a short time while waiting for our luggage. We were so surprised there were only a few people there! On past trips the pool area has always been crowded in the afternoon (Poly, CR, Yacht Club). Our luggage arrived about 2:00, so that was about 3 hours after arriving. We explored a bit then got ready for our 6:00 ADR at Le Cellier.

We boarded the Disney bus and found it deserted ... will this be the case all week? And how will the parks be? Before we left I read how crowded everything was after the free dining started so I was concerned about the crowds. After arriving at Epcot we headed to Spaceship Earth since we were early for our ADR. We then decided to see if there were any fast passes left for Soarin' as we have heard about its popularity. There weren't so we headed to Canada about 30 minutes early. They were able to seat us right away! We had a delightful meal at Le Cellier (review on Dining Plan board) and a wonderful server. We found the dining plan works great and it's very easy to catch on to the system.

We had been up since 3:30 AM so we decided to head back to our resort. We will catch Illuminations another night, as we had an early ADR at Crystal Palace and a nice birthday planned for our DD! The bus was empty returning back to CS...hmmm. The lighting at the resort is beautiful and the balmy weather and sleepiness washed over us as we walked over the bridge to our room. We were so glad to finally be here!

Finally here, off to Spaceship Earth!

DS and DD after dinner at Le Cellier.

 

[keliblue]

Your trip has started off great, can't wait to hear more

 

[scrap4u]

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

 

[swanprincess]

Excellent start to your vacation ~ it is making me jealous!

 

[Saphire]

This was our DD's 17th birthday, and what a day it was. We were up early for the 8:00 ADR at Crystal Palace. She opened two presents that we brought along with us. One was a pretty pair of earrings, and the other was a shirt that we had made at Zazzle. It was bright yellow and said "Birthday Girl, WDW 2006" on the front, and a "17" on the back. She laughed and laughed when she opened it and promptly put it on. We knew she would have no embarrasment or trouble with it. She is a Disney lover and knows how to handle a little attention, lol.

We walked out to the bus stop, and immediately the MK bus pulled up. I must say here that I am so impressed with the bus drivers. Each and every one of them greets you personally, saying 'good morning' or 'good evening', wishing you a good day, etc. We found this on past trips and this trip even more so. It really did contribute to making it a wonderful experience. Anyway, we arrived at MK and were able to enter the park early for our ADR. Wow, what a treat it was to stroll up Main St. with only a few people around! We took our time getting to Crystal Palace then checked in. They quickly called us and we were first to enter the restaurant! The waitress immediatly saw my daughter's shirt and acknowledged her birthday and gave us a table in front of the castle. We were first to get in line and everything was fresh and hot. It was so nice to be here when it was not yet crowded. Every character came by and at the end our waitress brought a cupcake, lit it, and sang "Happy Birthday". Other people around us joined in. She received a signed card from Winnie and friends as well.

It was just before 9:00 AM and DH and DS went to Space Mountain for fastpasses while DD and I went to City Hall for a birthday button. She licked her cupcake frosting like an ice cream cone as we leisurley made our way down there, the street so quiet and so nice. We then walked toward our meeting place at Big Thunder Mountain. This is when I was most surprised. The gates had opened as we were heading to Frontierland and I expected there to be a crush of people from behind us. (We have gone many times in summer). But it never happened! There were people, but there were not masses of people. We found this to be true the rest of the trip. It was pretty quiet and extemely managable especially if you go early. That morning we went on Splash, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh (thanks guys for indulging me in Fantasyland), Space Mountain, People Mover, It's a Small World and Philharmagic. We got frozen drinks in Tomorrowland when we needed a break mid-morning. It was getting hot mid-day, so we head back to the hotel. We were so pleased we saw so much and that the crowds were not bad at all.

At the hotel, DH and DS got some take-out at the Pepper Market. They have many choices there and anyone could find something of interest. We spent a little time at the pool, then headed to MGM. Again, the bus came right away, and MGM is a quick trip from CS. We went to Guest Services for another Birthday Button and were a little early for our 5:30 ADR at Mama Melrose. They took us right away and the skies opened up. We missed all the rain during dinner, a little pixie dust from heaven that followed us all week. DD had chosen this restaurant for her Birthday dinner as it had flatbread pizza and brushetta and she was not disappointed. I was not impressed with my meal here, but glad she enjoyed it. When we left it had stopped raining so we headed for Muppets3D, Star Tours, then Tower of Terror, a family favorite. As we were standing in line a man turned around and saw DD's shirt. He was with his daughter who was about 12 years old. They wished her a hearty "Happy Birthday" then proceeded to sing her Happy Birthday in another language! (Dutch, Swedish?) It was awesome! My DD was so taken back and we all just laughed and said our thank-you's, shook hands and parted ways at the TOT elevators.

I had planned a Wishes cruise for DD as a surprise that night. We took the Contemporary Bus instead of the CS bus and my daughter knew something was up. We tried telling her a few tales but are not good fibbers so she just gave us 'the eye' as we drove to the hotel. We walked through the lobby and down to the marina. We waited there for our driver to come and soon he was there calling our name. The boat was decorated with a banner and balloons, and we told her we were going out on a Wishes Cruise. This was a great cruise. JB, our driver, took us out to Bay Lake where we watched the water parade. The evening was perfect, no rain and even a little cool! Then we headed to Seven Seas Lagoon where he talked about the history of the hotels, etc. We then ended up in front of the castle where we watched Wishes. DD was so grateful and pleased and we wished her one last time a happy 17th Birthday! Where has that time gone? She truly is a dear daughter.

JB drove slowly back to the dock, by the Contemporary which looks stunning at night. We walked back to MK and got the bus to CS. Once more there was little wait and very few people on the bus. It was late and we were so tired but grateful to have been in such a wonderful place for DD's birthday. I can't count how many people said 'Happy Birthday' and I know it made her feel special. Thanks, Disney!

 

[keliblue]

What a perfect day !!! Happy belated BIRHTDAY !!!!

 

[pumba]

that is so awesome........happy birthday to your dd too from us......Our granddaughter just turned 17 a few weeks ago. It is a great age for the girls.....hope your trip is as good as the first few days

 

[heaven2dc]

What a great trip you are having so far! Happy B-lated Birthday DD!!

Thanks for sharing your pics too - will be waiting for next installment!

 

[Saphire]

Day Three

We had been looking forward to riding Everest and headed out early for AK. I really liked how the CM's stretch out at park opening and walk to the attraction with the masses behind them as it really cuts down on the runners and rude people in general. The sun is low and hot...you really need a visor as well as sunglasses when you head out this early, it is that hard to see. We only waited about 10 minutes. What an awesome ride! It is a little wilder than Thunder Mountain, but in a good way! As soon as we got off, we got fastpasses (for an hour later) and headed to Dinosaur, then Tough to be a Bug. On Bug, I always scream the whole way through and this time was no different. The fact that I know what's coming somehow makes it worse instead of better, lol. We then got some frozen lemonade and observed some sweet little boys enjoying their drinks while checking out the ducks that came by. We saw some really cute little kids this trip. What a pleasure it is to see kids enjoying such simple things. Children are such a gift.

Anyway...we then went on Kali River Rapids and my DD and I got soaked. I never seemed to dry out because of the humidity and can't imagine doing this attraction in winter. We headed to Tusker House at 12:00, breaking one of my 'rules' of not going at mid-day, and sure enough it was wicked crowded. We sent my DD and DS to wait at a table while DH and I ordered lunch. They sat next to a family from Canada and conversed for awhile. The food here was excellent, and desserts were yummy. As we were finishing up, I scanned around for someone with a stroller who needed a table, and approached her to tell her we were leaving. I remember those days and how hard it could be, and she was so pleased.

Our final ride was the Safari and we then walked the Jungle Trek. We laughed at how the tiger reminded us of our kitties, lying there all stretched out without a care. As we left the sky got dark, but once again we dodged the rain as we headed into the bus for CS. We rested/read while it rained, and felt refreshed a few hours later.

As the rain subsided, we headed out to Epcot. We visited Journey Into Imagination, then arrived for our 7:00 ADR for Coral Reef. They were running 30 minutes behind, which they told us up front, so we sat down while looking at menus. We met a nice family from Buffalo. One of the most enjoyable parts of a trip to DW is meeting people from all over the country, if just for a few minutes. It makes you feel part of something bigger, you know? We had a wonderful meal here. We headed to Illuminations and enjoyed it from the entrance to WS. Riding back to CS, the bus was the most full it would be all week, and yet everyone had a seat! The lights reflecting on the water at Coronado Springs as we walked back to our room were just beautiful, as another great day came to an end.

 

[pumba]

I also love the meeting of people from all over the world......it is a joy to talk to some of them.......thanks so much for your great report.....I love to read everyones reports and what they did and where they ate and what rides they did ........oops.......I can go in a few months........thanks again

 

[Saphire]

Day Four

There was so much food on the dining plan and the Pepper Market was a great place for counter service. We usually got a dessert with our lunch and saved it for the following morning. The 'dessert' consisted of huge cinnamon rolls or pecan rolls, danish or a croissant, muffin, scone, or even a giant cookie (sure, why not a giant cookie for breakfast). I have never seen such a wonderful bakery on Disney property. We brought some good coffee from home and made our own in the room. (Bring flat filters if you do this too, as the room is only stocked with filter/coffee together). We always had juice in the fridge from snack credits or leftover bottled juice from lunch. It was really easy to put together a quick breakfast this way.

Today we went to MGM with the purpose of doing our favorites as many times as we could. Once again it was not that crowded and we were able to ride TOT multiple times and R&R a few times. We also went on the Great Movie Ride and Sounds Dangerous. It was here that I missed Millionaire so much. Last trip, DD got into the hot seat at age 14 and reached the 64,000 question. This show was great fun and I am so sad it's gone. We then went to see the Car show whatever it's called. It was just OK, give me Millioniare any day.

The sky got dark and that meant we were heading back (we never once got caught in the rain). We had another great lunch at the Pepper Market and rested while it rained. We headed out to Kona Cafe for dinner. We should not have eaten so much of the yummy lunch because we got full very quickly here. The service was wonderful and the food was just delicious. The Kona French Pressed coffee is divine! We all split one dessert as we were just so stuffed, but our waiter was willing to pack the others to-go for us. We were heading to MK, so had to decline. The great reviews of Kona are right on target...try it!

I thought MK would be busy tonight (Friday), but it was quiet! We saw Pirates (love the changes), Buzz, Stitch, Space several times (used fastpass), People Mover. We shopped while the parade was going on, caught a few minutes of it outside the Emporium, and then left the park quietly while everyone stayed behind. Another short wait for a CS bus. We are full and very, very happy. Great day!

White Chocolate Cheesecake at Kona

 

[LAS]

Great report! I'm sorry you had to cancel your early trip but it sounds like you had a great time. Please, from the bottom of my heart, tell your DS THANK YOU for wanting to come here and help with Katrina. It is all the volunteers that have made life better for so many people here.

 

[BeautyNBeast]

Loving the TR! Happy Belated Birthday to your DD!

 

[Cass]

Hi Saphire, I'm loving your trip report you are a great writer.

 

[Saphire]

Thanks for the comments and for reading.

Day Five

We had already accomplished so much and felt ahead in our touring plans, so we decided to visit Typhoon Lagoon for the morning. I had leftover water park options from past trips, went to guest services at MGM the day before, and was quickly told what was left on each ticket. We had five remaining water park visits...great! as we only needed the four. Our bus picked us up right away (CS buses are the BEST) and we got there before park opening. But we found out it was EE for WDW guests! So we walked into an empty park and were able to go on the new coaster ride. Everyone laughed at how much I screamed, but it was really exciting! We went on it several times, then some water slides. I wanted to break away and lie in the sun for awhile, which was absolutely wonderful and something I never got to do when the kids were younger. Having older kids does have advantages. Then we had some time in the wave pool and lazy river. I have never been to TL and seen the crowds so light, what a treat! By 11:30 we were done, and once more the sky turned dark as we headed back on the bus. We stopped for lunch at Pepper Market. The Quesadillas were incredible. We went back to the room and rested, I did some laundry as it rained. By the time we headed out to Hoop-De-Doo, the rain stopped.

We took the large boat from MK over to Fort Widerness and it was hot and crowded. We waited only a short while outside Pioneer Hall and then stepped into the wonderfully air conditioned room. I made these reservations five months ago, and assumed we would be sitting around the middle of the room. My DS 20 is rather shy and asked me where we were sitting, that he preferred to be behind a pole, in the back of the room, or in the balcony. (We have been twice before, so he knew the scoop). He wanted NO attention on him. Don't worry, I said. We gave them our slip "Table 24". We weaved our way around tables, approaching the front, heading toward the middle, and 'gulp', ended up front and center, one row back from the stage. I told DS not to worry, the performers move all around and won't single us out. We quickly dug into the salad and bread, met our server from Massachusettes, and started the fun.

The performers do mingle around more in front, I guess I never really noticed before, and I was serenaded a few lines by one of the performers. My son started to get uneasy. I told him not to worry. The food was as good as ever and our server brought my DD some red roasted potatoes when she saw she wasn't eating the baked beans. Then it was time for dessert, and the waiters came out on stage with the strawberry shortcake and everbody was singing and the next thing I knew one of the female performers was tapping my boy on the shoulder and he stood up immediatley and walked away with her! I knew what it meant but wasn't sure if he would head out the exit door or really follow her. My DH and I looked at each other in disbelief while we ate our dessert and said how could they choose him out of the hundreds of people here and will he ever forgive us and what have we gotten him into? If they tapped DD on the shoulder it would have been an entirely different story but they chose the shy one. We only had to wait a short time and soon enough there was DS up on stage acting out a brave Indian scene. He did a fantastic job and got lots of laughs in his role, we all sat there amazed and proud and pleased that he could prove to himself he could throw caution to the wind and go with the moment.

We went back on the smaller boat to the Contemporary and it is all open so the breeze blows right through. It was just beautiful. The sky was gorgeous after the rain and we sat there quietly smiling at all that happended. We walked back to the MK and waited for just a few minutes for our bus back to CS. A night we will never forget. Magic still happens...Thanks, Disney!

My DS, the brave Indian.

He looks like he is enjoying it!

Looking across Bay Lake.

After the rain.

 

[RunDanceSkate]

On your animal Kingdom day did you notice a tall, slightly overweight mom and two really cute kids (son 12, daughter 9) leading the group to the safari behind Minnie/Goofy/Pluto on the safari truck? If you did then you saw me and my kids. The plan was to do EE until we were chosen and we hit the safari first instead.

Cindy

 

[Saphire]

Day Six

We arrived at Epcot early Sunday morning to finally see Soarin'. This was a great attraction, I think I smiled the whole way through it. I found myself wanting more. Incredible...wish we could have lingered over that enourmous river...where was that? We got a fast pass with a return time of 90 minutes, so enjoyed test track again and saw the Crush show. This is a great show for little ones and those who loved the 'Finding Nemo' movie, which would include my DD. Whenever she needs to de-stress from her otherwise crazy, active and very responsible teenage life, she comes home and puts on cozy clothes and announces she is curling up with her 'Finding Nemo' DVD. I think she is the only person in high school who can recite the song from Mr. Ray, unashamedly I might add...
'Oh, let's name the species, the species, the species. Let's name the species
that live in the sea. There's porifera, coelenterata, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora, bryozoas, three! Gastropoda, arthropoda, echinoderma, and some fish like you and me. Come on, sing with me. Oh...!'

We then headed into Norway and Germany as my DS 20 was looking forward to browsing in the shops, and oh yes, seeing the lovely girls working in those shops. I actually overheard a young American man asking a German girl out on a date. She declined and said it was forbidden, but he gave her his hotel phone number anyway. After he left, she turned to a co-worker and spoke in buoyant German, of couse I have no idea what she said, lol.

We arrived at The American Adventure just as the Liberty Singers started singing. This is simply Disney at its best. You can find these up close and personal mini-shows everywhere, at every park. Stopping to enjoy them for just a few minutes adds so much enjoyment to the trip. We watched the American Experience, then headed to the Rose and Crown for lunch. This turned out to be my favorite meal. We ended up sitting between two British families, and of couse our waitress was British, and between the subdued and lovely accents all around us and the pint of beer on a hot afternoon I thought I was in heaven. And then the food came! Ahhh, cheese and fruit, bread, fish and chips, coffee trifle, it was just amazing. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and we were pleasantly full as we strolled to the gift shop. I bought my son in medical school some coasters from all over Britian. As a student they love to have small parties in their infrequent time off, and being 1/2 English, I thought it was a good choice.

We stopped in Italy, China and Mexico on our way to the Universe of Energy, and finally left the park around 5:30. When we got back to Coronado we enjoyed the jacuzzi, which was hot and relaxing and felt so good on tired muscles. My DS had enough, but the three of us headed out to the MK as we knew our time was short, and didn't want to miss a thing. We went to Pirates again and then Haunted Mansion. It was late and dark and the CM there was being creepy and spooky with my daughter, coming up behind her and surprising her, etc. Fun stuff. We ate at Cosmic Ray's and the choices there were amazing. I never knew they had an extensive toppings bar, just like Pecos Bill's. It was great. We went on Space Mountain, then found a spot for Wishes on the bridge to Tomorrowland. This is a good spot, Tinkerbell flies right over you, but of course you must deal with the crowds when it is over. This was an extra hours night, but we found the rides to be far more crowded than during the day, so we just left at that point. The crowds weren't bad leaving as so many were staying, and we were back by 11:00, completely exhausted. I couldn't believe our vacation was almost over, and yet it felt like we had been there for weeks.

Coronado Bustop, never a long wait.

Looking out from Tomorrowland

 

[OhMari]

I'm enjoyig your TR, but I can tell you are the picture taker, there are no pictures of you. LOL.

 

[blue_river]

Great tr!

What a special b-day gift for your DD (boat cruise)! I can also imagine your son squirming at HDD - we were not as close to the stage and the 4 of us were hoping not to be singled out. He obviously enjoyed himself though so I guess it wouldn't be that bad - definately some pixie dust I'd say.